March 28, 2024

Hollywood Beach, an Oasis of Old Florida with a Progressive Twist

A Winter Retreat: My Beach Review

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Looking for an escape from winter’s wrath in New England? Live in Buffalo, NY? This first hand review of a Florida beach should help. Hollywood Beach in Hollywood, Florida has quickly become my favorite beach destination. As a passionate old beach bum I have visited beaches from Florida to Hawaii. This beach town won me over. Hawaii may have more majestic beaches and more prolific views but this beach has something special for everyone. Tucked between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Hollywood Beach (15 minutes from Ft. Lauderdale airport) offers a 2.5 mile stretch on the Atlantic Ocean of boardwalk action and great swimming. The water is a clear blue-green with a good mix of body surfing waves and flat calm days. The “Broadwalk” is so-named due to its very wide paver and brick boardwalk with marked lanes for walkers, bicyclists and foot pedal buggies. The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk (HBB) runs directly alongside the ocean on one side and has a tempting mix of restaurants, pubs, tiki bars and hotels and motels on the other side. Unique to most beach resorts there are no streets alongside. You name it and HBB pretty much has it.

There is no major road visible from the beach, just a beautiful ocean and a wide boardwalk with lots to do. The only streets you may see are various narrow side roads that get you to the beach from Florida’s famous A1A highway. HBB is an oasis of an “Old Florida” beach with a progressive twist. Quaint yet active, the beauty of HBB is that you can be as busy or as quiet as you want. Bring your own cooler and sand chair as you sit by the water’s edge, away from any boardwalk activity. Swim, read, have lunch or dinner all while staring at the beautiful sea from your sand chair or blanket. Or, if you prefer a faster pace you can walk or pedal a 1950’s type buggy along the boardwalk taking in all the sights. There are scores of ethnic eateries and simple pubs serving basic beach food; burgers to steaks to vegetarian places to seafood, etc. Many of the reasonably priced motels and inns have small kitchens as well. A favorite “Cheers” type place for my wife and me is a Boston based beach pub called Nick’s Bar & Grill. Established on the boardwalk some 35 years ago by former Bostonian Bob Ferro, it has a New England flavor with its many TV’s for sports and a menu which includes New England lobsters, steamers and chowder. You can sit at Nick’s while almost feeling the ocean spray, it’s that close to the beach. Our motel was next door to Nick’s and we were only a dozen or so steps from everything we enjoyed. For more than a week we didn’t need a car – just our sandals as we walked everywhere. Lodging, beach, boardwalk, pubs, entertainment were all within a few minutes’ walk of each other. The best part of the HBB may be the glorious sunrises. Morning coffee in hand as we sat on our private motel patio watching the sun rise out of the ocean. Moonlit nights were just as spectacular.

For those who want more action, Fort Lauderdale and Miami’s South Beach are a short drive away along A1A. Many other Florida beaches are nearby and even Disney World is only about 3 hours to the North. A four hour ride – preferably in a convertible – will get you to Key West. There are boats and yachts at every corner as HBB is situated between the Ocean and the Intra-Coastal waterway. Water taxis will give you breathtaking views. And if you want even more action, but closer, well the new $147 Million Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort is being built. A 349-room hotel complete with seven restaurants and bars, several pools including one in the shape of a flip-flop, and a double surf FlowRider for anyone wanting to hit the waves but not really wanting to go to the beach, is opening on the boardwalk in the summer of 2015. The new resort will be next to the large public band shell which will continue to offer free concerts nightly and will receive a facelift complete with individual Adirondack chair seating. Some locals are a bit concerned with the increased tourism that is likely to happen.

Bob Ferro, owner of Nick's Bar & Grill, welcomes Margaritaville. His restaurant practically abuts the mega resort. For more than 35 years, Nick's has been a backdrop for movies, a setting for several weddings and an occasional stop for sports and entertainment figures. Many visiting New Englanders frequent Nick's. Ferro and his large family grew up in Boston and he and a brother bought Nick's (keeping the name) in 1980. It has been a Hollywood hit ever since. Several movies have had scenes filmed on HBB. One can see snippets of Nick's in Body Heat with William Hurt and Kathleen Turner; All About the Benjamins with Ice Cube; Stuck on You with Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear; and Marley & Me with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. "I think Margaritaville will help us and all the businesses on the broadwalk," Ferro told us during a chat with him last month. "There will be more people coming here and that's good for business," he smiled. "It's a good thing."

The magic of HBB doesn't just happen. The local town leaders and residents make sure that their beach and boardwalk stay beautiful and successful. The spotless beach is checked several times a day by town employees who empty trash containers which are cleverly hidden inside attractive concrete 'vases'. This, of course, is unlike here in Rhode Island where beach goers are told to bring their trash home. Every morning the beach is “raked” neat by several beach tractors and the boardwalk is washed and swept often. The boardwalk is well lighted at night and local police provide a stealth-like security presence in the area. The entire area is immaculate.

I was so impressed with HBB after our first visit two years ago, that I sent out some emails to local Hollywood officials upon returning home. I congratulated them on maintaining such a wonderful resort/beach area. I also expressed a concern I heard from locals that the HBB reasonable prices may jump up when Margaretville opens. To my surprise I heard back from several officials. "I am delighted you, your family and friends had such a positive experience and hope you will return in the future. I welcome and appreciate the feedback regarding your concerns with Margaritaville, and hope when the resort opens, and you return, you will find your fears unfounded," said Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober in his reply to me. Also writing back was Dick Blattner, a City Commissioner from District 4 in HB. "What we see happening is economic development and re-development, essential in raising the value of property," said Blattner. "If values stay flat, or decline as they did during the recent recession, our revenue declines as well..." he continued. "I do get your point and hope that you will always find a comfortable, clean and affordable place to stay on Hollywood Beach," added Blattner. Commissioner Blattner followed up with an invitation to "call me when you return and we'll have a beer at Nick's." Of course when we did return we met and the Commissioner kept his promise as we stopped at Nick's and talked further about HB. Both the Mayor and Commissioner were confident that the Margaritaville resort would enhance the area and prices should stay moderate. I do suggest that people stay right on the Broadwalk. Staying in town and making day trips to the beach area isn't as much fun and parking can be limited. We anxiously await our return!

Of course Florida boasts of so many great beaches on its east and west coasts. Everyone has a favorite I know, but for us - Hollywood Beach and its 'Broadwalk' has it all. And Florida does have seasons. If you want great beach weather you've got to get down south pretty far. HB grabbed us like a big, curling wave and won't let go. So let's all go and meet at Nick's soon.

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